Monday, 27 December 2010

A nostalgic view of the last mass start event held at Arnside Knott in January 2004 gives a taster of what is to come on Saturday, now that the icy conditions have left us. Current forecasts suggest temperatures around six degrees - ideal for a New Year's run around this attractive wooded area. If you get time don't miss the splendid views over the Kent estuary and across Morecambe Bay.

Do you recognise these orienteers? SROC members Mary Ockenden and Maria Angeles Solera Garcia were each awarded their PhD degree at a graduation ceremony last week at Lancaster University. Sarah Watkins and Gavin Smith (already PhDs) who work at the university joined the academic procession for the occasion.

Saturday, 18 December 2010

Friday, 17 December 2010

The 10th New Year Cracker will take place (weather permitting - check back here if in any doubt) at Arnside Knott on 1st January. There is hard standing car parking but space is limited - please share wherever possible. We may have to temporarily block some cars in but since this is a mass start score event everyone should be leaving at around the same time. Arrive in plenty of time to leave the car park for the mass start at 12.15. Our seasonal photo is from the competition area in early December.

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

The last SROC event of the year benefited from warmer conditions than of late as regular street leaguers enjoyed the challenge of Clitheroe this evening. RouteGadget for the event can be accessed here.

Monday, 13 December 2010

New Year's Day 2011 will see the 10th SROC New Year Cracker, this time in the beautiful woodland of Arnside Knott. The event will be a mass start score, with an extra twist. Details may be viewed here. Many prizes!

Saturday, 11 December 2010

Some members may have missed the announcement of a Masters Cup to be run next year, in a similar fashion to the well established UK Cup. Around 20 events have been nominated for the Cup, being spread across all formats and most regions. More details may be found on the BOF website.

Thursday, 9 December 2010

Any SROC member running for the club at the Compass Sport Cup match at Watergrove, 16th January, will have a substantial discount on the full entry fee. All entries need to be via the Club Captain, and all members are invited to email Mark Edwards so that he can enter them as part of the club entry, and apply the discount.

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

Despite assurances given yesterday, a further inspection today has revealed too many icy patches for safe running. A very hard frost is expected for this evening so with regret the Kikham and Wesham street event rescheduled for this evening (Wednesday 8th December) has been postponed once again. A date in January is most likely, and will be announced later.

Monday, 6 December 2010

Manchester and District OC are holding their annual charity event in Lyme Park on Saturday 8th January 2011. This year's event was cancelled at the last minute due to snow, meaning little cash raised for charity. MDOC are hoping for better next year. It's a great fun event so check out the details on this flyer.

The North West Orienteering Association has launched a new website, guaranteed to carry all the up to date news on matters North West such as regional leagues, championships and fixtures. SELOC's Mark Sammon is due many thanks for doing all the hard work.

Sunday, 5 December 2010

Anyone who has been a SROC member for a year or two is sure to have run at Beacon Fell, which could possibly be regarded as our virtual clubhouse. Many others have also enjoyed the permanent course on the Fell, which is maintained by SROC members. The Friends of Beacon Fell raise funds which are spent on improving the Fell and its facilities. You may be interested in their 2011 calendar, or the photographic competition. Calendars are £5, with a discount 0f 10% on ten or more. All proceeds towards a new sensory trail. Winning entries in the photo comp will form the 2012 calendar.

A reminder that the Kirkham event has been rescheduled to Wednesday 8th December. Currently the conditions are improving, but check back here to make sure this event goes ahead. Meanwhile the final details for the Clitheroe event on Wednesday 15th December have been added to the Fixtures page. If wanting food this should be ordered via John Ashton by 11th December.

Thursday, 2 December 2010

The woods are in great condition, but the parking access is impassable except by 4WD. With no suitable alternative parking, and likely further falls of snow, we regret that this Saturday's event in Knots Wood has been cancelled. It will be re-scheduled early in the New Year.

Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Calling all SROC members! The 1st round of the national clubs championship will take place at Watergrove near Rochdale on Sunday 16th January. We need a strong turnout in all age classes to secure our rightful place in the final. Contact Mark Edwards (Club Captain) if you can run for your club.

An inspection of the Kirkham and Wesham pavements today revealed treacherous conditions. With no chance of a thaw in the next few days the next Street League event has been postponed until next Wednesday 8th December. A decision on whether Knots Wood goes ahead on Saturday 4th will be made late on Thursday 2nd December.

Monday, 29 November 2010

In the current weather conditions there is a possibility that snow might prevent any event going ahead. The streets of Kirkham are currently clear but please check back here before travelling on Wednesday. Likewise for Knots Wood on Saturday.

Sunday, 28 November 2010

Courses suitable for beginners and experiences orienteers are on offer at Knots Wood near Lancaster on Saturday. Start times are a very civilised 12.30 - 2.00pm, and cost £3/£1. Please note that there will be no toilet facilities at the event. If there is much snow check back here in case of cancellation.

Results for the rather under-publicised 2010 North West Orienteering League have been announced on the NWOA NWOL page. Highest SROC member in the adult (MW18+) table is Martyn Roome, while Annie Ockenden is our top junior in the M/W16- table. Congratulations to them both. Both tables may be viewed here. Details of the 2011 league fixtures may also be found on the NWOL page.

Both Lancaster Girls' Grammar and Lancaster Royal Grammar (boys) did well at this weekend's British Schools Orienteering Championships, held in the South East. The girls team, fortified by many SROC juniors and a few from LOC, won gold in the Large Secondary Schools category. This was in addition to Year 11 and Year 13 golds, and silver for Years 8 and 9. Individual golds went to Annie Ockenden, Zoe and Katrin Harding. The boys took a much smaller team but still managed to scoop the Year 7 gold! Full results are here.

Preliminary details for the SROC Regional (level B) event next February are now available on the event web page. On-line entries are open via Fabian4, and you may enter by choosing your preferred age class, included S and B classes, or by colour. Helpers receive a 50% discount via a discount code. To obtain the code, and volunteer to help, contact Mike and Mary Ormerod.

Thursday, 18 November 2010

SROC is hosting the Northern Night Championships on Traitor's Gill, on 15th January 2011. This event will also be SROC's contribution to the North West Night League this season. Entries for the NN Champs are now open on Fabian4, and a flyer with details of the event is here.

Wednesday, 17 November 2010

You are invited to the Lake District Mountain Trial Association Talk to be held at the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, near Kendal, Cumbria on Friday 26th November 2010 about 8.45pm, £5 on the door. This years illustrated talk will be given by Dave Birkett and is called “Living in Lakeland (A Local Climbers Thoughts on Paradise)”Anne Salisbury 01539 821305 anne1salisbury(at)btinternet.com

Sunday, 14 November 2010

Results for the event held at Healey Nab today are now available here. RouteGadget, Splitsbrowser and Winsplits Online are available via the Results Index. There was a small problem with one of the finish boxes, which affected six people. Finish times for those six have been adjusted, meaning they took less time for their course than shown on their printout.

Friday, 5 November 2010

Wednesday, 3 November 2010

Night Street League number 2 in Lancaster subjected runners to a lethal combination of wet leaves and stone setts, making the going almost as slippery as ice in some parts. Nevertheless most enjoyed the fiendish course setting of Mark Saunders. Share your route on RouteGadget and find out who was tempted to cross the river. Did anyone get all the 50 pointers? For the next event at Ormskirk can anyone wanting food (home made scouse or blind scouse i.e. vegetarian) please let Norman Hall know in advance. Cost will be £3.50 per head, payable on the night.

“Forest Challenge!” is an exciting new game where even the most “average” orienteer can beat that fit M21 or W21 on a Blue, Brown or even Black course. Saturday evenings will never be the same again as you strive to relive the triumphs and disasters of those afternoons spent in the Forest.

Sunday, 31 October 2010

The SROC female veteran pairing of Karen Nash and Rowena Browne moved up to the A course for this year's OMM on Dartmoor over the weekend of 30th/31st October. Despite being quicker to the overnight camp than the eventual FV winners they were behind on handicap, and retained 2nd place on day 2. Congratulations to them. Full results here.

Despite starting a few minutes late to dodge a shower, last night's Spook-O in Eaves Wood was a great success. With more vampires than last year most competitors found themselves carrying a red torch at least once, and there were no really high scores. After the main event the seemingly inexhaustible supply of spooky soup and toasted eyeballs (marshmallows) rejuvenated the ghouls, vampires and witches. Results may be viewed here. More photos in the gallery.

Saturday, 30 October 2010

WAROC and LOC clubs have joined forces to provide a series of mass start night races on a mixture of terrain types, in November and December. Unfortunately from a SROC point of view these are all on Wednesdays so two of them clash with our Street League. More details of the WARLOC series here.

Wednesday, 20 October 2010

There was a splendid turnout for the first event of the season at Leyland today. RouteGadget is now available for you to add your route, and compare it with where everyone else went. Hints on how to use RouteGadget may be viewed here, and RG for the event is here.

Tuesday, 19 October 2010

Come along to the Spook O, rapidly establishing itself as the most not-to-miss event on the calendar! A fun evening for all the family, with a helping of night orienteering thrown in. Saturday 30th October. Check out this bulletin for full details.

Dig out your head torch and reflective vest, SROC's popular series of night street orienteering events starts again soon. The first event is in Leyland, at the Railway pub, offering a great meal after your run. More details via the Fixtures link above.

Monday, 18 October 2010

Cross Cumbria Cyclists are organising a Winter series of BMBO approved mountain bike orienteering events to test endurance, riding and navigation skills. The first two are on Saturday 6th November in Whinlatter Forest, and Sunday 7th November in Grizedale Forest. These are both fixed order events (i.e. not score) with a choice of courses. More details of the series on this flier. Entry details for the Whinlatter and Grizedale events here.

Saturday, 16 October 2010

Intervals at the Crook of Lune will start at 6:15pm on Monday 18th & 25th Oct to enable sessions to be done off tarmac in daylight. After the clocks go back, sessions will resume at 6:30pm on the cyclepath.Circuits will not take place at Ripley on Tuesday 26th Oct or 2nd Nov as the school is closed for half term.

Friday, 15 October 2010

Trevor Jackson ("Mr brightbikelights.com") had hoped to come to the Leyland Street League event on the 20th October, however pressure of work has meant he will not be able to attend. He sends his apologies and hopes to get to another event soon. Some consolation might be that Chris Roberts and Bob Nash will be there with their lights if you want a look.

Thursday, 14 October 2010

With the night’s drawing in and the start of Street League and Night League approaching I thought it time to review my lighting systems. I wanted something brighter (very bright if it was to compensate for my deteriorating eyesight) but baulked at paying the high price for the systems that were on the market. However I believe I have found the solution ...

Sunday, 10 October 2010

The North West round of the Yvette Baker Trophy, the national club championship for juniors, was held today at the SELOC Tockholes Regional Event. Despite some very creditable performances SROC scored 875 points against 883 for both LOC and DEE, who go through to the final. YBT results (with points scored) may be viewed here.

Cherith & Peter Knott attended the Chorley Sports Awards presentation last night, on behalf of the club. SROC was short-listed with 2 other clubs in the 'Community Club of the Year' category. We were awarded a 'Highly Commended' certificate. In the citation by Lee Boyer (Sports Development Officer) he said this was for our work with the Chorley O-Zone bringing the sport to the community and for the British Sprints championships, bringing a prestige event to the Borough.

Wednesday, 6 October 2010

Julian Lailey is one of only ten orienteers to have achieved Championship standard in all six possible events so far this year, as reported in the latest edition of Orienteering Focus. Also reaching Championship standard in at least three qualifying events are Quentin, Katrin and Zoe Harding, Karen and Chris Nash and John Ockenden.

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

Regular street-leaguers will be checking their head torches ready for the start of the season on Wednesday 20th October in Leyland. There will be the usual ten events at venues around the area, including some new locations for this season. If you are wondering what all this is about, have look at the league overview page.

Monday, 4 October 2010

SROC's Julian Lailey and Quentin Harding were essential members of the England Veteran Home International team which beat the other home nations in the combined individual and relay competition over the weekend (2nd & 3rd October), hosted by Swansea Bay OC. Results here.

Sunday, 3 October 2010

It was a close run thing but SROC's Glenys Ferguson's second place in today's final event in the Nopesport Urban League at Warwick was good enough to secure first place in the Women's Supervet category. This result came at the end of a season which saw Glenys competing as far away as Edinburgh and London. For the final Women's tables click here.

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Monday, 27 September 2010

The North West Junior Squad have invited South Ribble juniors to use their training area on Sunday 3rd October (This Sunday) at the Windfarm on Caton Moor, near Lancaster . The session will be from 10 - 12. If you are interested in coming along let Mark Edwards know by Wednesday evening. More details on the SRJS page.

Friday, 17 September 2010

SROC regret that the proposed informal event on White Coppice on October 16 has had to be canceled. Our next weekend event is on Healy Nab on November 14 but before that is the start of our popular street O series on Wednesday October 20.

Thursday, 16 September 2010

SROC's top urban orienteering exponent Glenys Ferguson is currently lying first in the Women's Supervet (W55+) class of the increasingly popular Norpesport Urban League. With only three events remaining can she retain number one spot to the end of the season? The next event is the prestigious London City Race this weekend, so good luck to Glenys and the other members of SROC who are venturing South.

Results for the Compass Sport Cup preliminary round at Formby on Sunday 12th September are now available via the MEROC website SROC finished in 3rd place in the Cup competition for larger clubs behind MDOC and DEE, but ahead of LOC and WCOC. There were some notable performances from club members, especially our talented juniors running up. These include Katrin Harding (W18) 2nd on Women Open, John Ockenden (M16) 2nd and Chris Nash (M16) 3rd on Men Blue M45+ M20-.

Sunday, 12 September 2010

Today 12th September, saw the 57th Lake District Mountain Trial, at Kentmere. Amongst many orienteers and fell runners from around the country SROC's Karen Nash finished in 3rd overall and 2nd FV40 in the women's race. Rowena Browne's 5th and Jo Taylor's 8th enabled them to win the Ladies team event. Mike Johnson won the MV50 class with 11th overall in the mens event. Full results here.

This year's Junior Home Internationals were held over 11th/12th September in Scotland. The competition is held between selected teams of M&W 14s, 16s and 18s. Despite their home advantage Scotland were not able to prevent an England victory, helped along by SROC's Zoe Harding (W16). Results may be viewed here.

Hot on the heels of the Compass Sport Cup match comes this call from Matt Nash, your Junior Club Captain/Committee Rep: We are hoping to get lots of juniors to enter the Yvette Baker Trophy (the national inter-club competition for juniors) which will be held at the SELOC Tockholes event on Sunday 10th October. Cheaper entry by 1st October. Full colour coded so Mum and Dad can run too, nice cafe very close by. The organiser is asking likely numbers so email me if you think you are going to run.

Sunday, 5 September 2010

The SROC team of John, Katrin, Chris, Zoe, Helen, Kira, Lisa and Matt returned from the annual Peter Palmer Junior Team Relays having achieved 2nd place in the Peter Palmer Trophy and 4th place overall. An excellent result, also first team from NW clubs. More photos in the Gallery, and results are here.

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

Roadshows will cover the Competition Review, the 4 tier event structure, plans for the future development programme and much more. All members are welcome to attend. Refreshments including a sandwich buffet will be provided. Roadshows are completely free and all that is requested is that members register their attendance in advance with the British Orienteering National Office. Please email info@britishorienteering.org.uk with your name, membership number, the roadshow you wish to attend and any access and dietary requirements. More details are available here. Our local event will be on 26th October in Preston, 6.30pm for buffet, 7.00pm start.

The latest results again show how much we enjoy orienteering, with the satisfaction survey placing orienteering in 5th position out of 44 sports (only judo, taekwondo, angling and shooting higher). Within orienteering, the greatest satisfaction came from Exertion (yes, really!) & Fitness, Release & Diversion and People & Organisation.

Sunday, 29 August 2010

SROC club training night returns. Circuits start again on Tuesday, 7th September, at Ripley School Sports Hall, Lancaster. Times as before - 6.30 - 8.00. Just in time for a tone up before we take on the other NW clubs in the Compass Sport Cup on Formby sands on Sunday, 12th September.

Friday, 27 August 2010

The Lakes 5 (sadly reduced to four events) ended in glorious sunshine today at SROC's event on Helsington Barrows. This can be classed among the most enjoyable events that the club has ever put on. At the prizegiving (best 3 scores counted) the most notable win was for Karen Nash in W35L, running up two classes! Also winning their classes were Sophie Roberts (W14B) and Lisa Quickfall (W16B). Other top five places were recorded by James Todhunter (2nd M21V), Jacob Roberts (3rd M12B), Karen Quickfall (3rd W45S), Annie Ockenden (4th W12A), Deb Murrell (4th W40S), Dick Collins (4th M65S), Julian Lailey (4th M60L), Laurence Johnson (5th M12A) and Lucie Todhunter (5th W21S). Full results on the Lakes 5 website.

Tuesday, 24 August 2010

From Lakes 5 website: "The heavy rain has made the car park field waterlogged. The field is situated at the head of the reservoir and the owners (United Utilities - the water company) have advised that damage to the field will pollute the water and they have therefore decided that the parking field can not be used. Just prior to the event, the police vetoed the backup plan to park cars on a minor road so we are left with no alternative but to cancel this day's competition. A decision on refunds will be taken next week."

Wednesday, 18 August 2010

Your Club Captain Mark Edwards needs to know if you are forming part of the club team (all welcome!) for the re-scheduled first round of the Compass Sport Cup. This is at Formby on Sunday 12th September. You can let Mark know at the Lakes Five Days, or email him: captain@sroc.org. Details of the event and on-line entry are available from the MEROC website and the closing date for entry is 31st August. Mark has been getting in some extra training on Formby sands, ready for the event (not in the mapped area of course), but unfortunately got a little stuck! For another picture and caption competition follow this link. All entries to webmaster@sroc.org before the CSC match. Best entry wins a prize from your Club Captain!

Sunday, 8 August 2010

Thanks to Martyn Roome for some photos from the World Masters 2010 in the Swiss Jura, just finished. Martyn reports: "4500 competitors, the sun shone strongly on every competition day (pity about the rain on the training day!) Those from SROC attending: David and Miriam Rosen, Sue and John Denmark, Brian Jackson, Sue and I, plus The Houghton family (with their shop). No spectacular results to tell you about, though Miriam made the A final in the Long distance and I made A in the Sprint. Sue also won the C final of the sprint - thanks to having a bad qualification race! Pictured - an interesting adornment to the toilets on the last day - can the Lakes 5 day match that?"

Thursday, 22 July 2010

Readers of the latest edition of CompassSport, the orienteering magazine, may have noticed an article by Dave Nevell where he calculates the country's top 100 orienteers by normalising their ranking scores by age and gender. In other words, he figures out what their potential score would be if everyone were a 28 year old male! There are three SROC members in the list: Karen Nash is our top orienteer in 31st place, followed by Julian Lailey in 54th and Quentin Harding in 57th.

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Club Equipment Officer Peter Knott asks: Could members please check to see if they have any club equipment in their house, shed or garage etc and contact me re returning it to our equipment garage. This is urgent for both the forthcoming Lakes 5 Days and the need to do an updated inventory for insurance purposes. Among the things we are short of are reflective yellow jackets, pin punches, bunged canes and A4 map bags, but this is not a full list. Tel: 01772 683072 Email: pgk36@fsmail.net

Sunday, 18 July 2010

As you may recall the original CSC had to be cancelled due to the snow earlier this year. The first round is to be held at Formby on September 12th 2010 (see MEROC website for details) Hopefully the weather will be better and as long as sea levels don't rise dramatically it should take place! With the summer holidays fast approaching I need to know who would like to enter as part of the SROC team. I will be at the Lakes 5 Days but it may be quicker to email me. I am waiting for more details and will pass them on as soon as I get them. Mark (club captain).

The results (best 3 out of 5) of the Summer Series are here. Congratulations to all our winners, and all those others who competed too. The prizegiving took place at the Club Picnic, but those winners who were not there should contact Martyn Roome on Martyn@mroome.myzen.co.uk to arrange to collect their prize (don't leave it too long or he may have eaten it!) Pictured: M60+ winner Julian Lailey is congratulated by Martyn Roome.

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

All club members are warmly invited to the club’s Annual General Meeting on 15 Sept 2010 at 7.30pm in the Victoria Institute, Caton. (See map) In addition to the usual reports and election of officers there will be proposed amendments to the constitution. After the formal business is concluded we have an informal chat and some food. Please bring something to share and come and join us.

Monday, 12 July 2010

Dawn Lock has suggested a run for this coming Wednesday (14th) around the Rivington Reservoir area. Park at the free car park at GR625143 at 6:45pm to run along the banks of the reservoir to Liverpool castle, then directly away from the reservoir to climb to Rivington Tower and return through the Terrace Gardens down to the car park. Please contact Dawn if intending to run.

Friday, 9 July 2010

If you have upgraded or are considering doing so please can the club buy your old dibber / SI card? We always need more to hire and are prepared to pay £10. You would need to de-register it first, but that is easy to do when you register your new one. If you wish to do so please contact Bob Nash or the club official manning the download at the next event.

The SROC annual General Meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 15th September 2010. The details of time and place will be published soon, but in the mean time please mark this date in your diary. Members attending the meeting will be asked to vote in acceptance of the revised club constitution, which may be previewed here:

The final event in the SROC Summer Series was combined with the Lancashire Scout & Guide Orienteering Championships at Beacon Fell on Tuesday 6th July. Bob Nash planned courses from White through Light Green, giving a suitable test for all ages. Pictured is a group being briefed outside the Visitor Centre and Cafe (unfortunately closed during the event). Results for the event are here, and splits analysis including RouteGadget may be accessed via the Results Index.

Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Mike Johnson treated competitors to a pair of sprint courses - both "Urban" around the uni buildings and "Park" across (and up and down) the parkland areas. Good exercise and good fun! Results may be viewed here. RouteGadget is available here.

Monday, 28 June 2010

North West juniors including SROC's Chris Nash, Katrin and Zoe Harding, were victorious at a sweltering JIRCS over the weekend in South Wales. All three put in excllent performances in the relays, and Zoe was winner in her individual race as well. Results may be viewed via the SWOC website.

Best three out of the five events to count. Next event Tuesday 29th June at Lancaster University where scoring will operate similarly to Williamson Park where there were also two courses. View the latest table here.

Sunday, 27 June 2010

This week's Wednesday night run will be along the prom between Lytham and Fairhaven and round Fairhaven Lake. Meet 6:45 for 7:00 at car park GR SD355270. There will be a cycling option around the (flat!) lanes of the Fylde. Queries etc to Mike Ormerod 01200 429892

Wednesday, 23 June 2010

A splendid turn out of SROC members gathered for the ride organised by Mike & Mary last Sunday. Glorious June sunshine bathed the scene as the main group departed from Denny Beck at 10 o'clock. A few slightly late riders soon caught the group, and a leisurely pace was set to the coffee stop at Deerslet. After due refreshment there was a three-way split, with some taking the medium route via Beetham, others the long around Farleton Knott and a few with less time to spare taking a roundabout route home. The long and medium groups rejoined on the pier at Arnside (medium group pictured) for lunch. An optional further coffee stop at Leighton Moss was taken by some, while others kept moving and completed the 30-odd miles by mid-afternoon. A very enjoyable outing and a pleasant change, with lots of chances to chat with other riders along the way. More photos in the gallery.

Monday, 21 June 2010

Meet at Nick of Pendle 6.45 for 7.00pm start, SD 772385 (see map), for a range of runs or a jog. A walk along the ridge is also an option, with a visit to the Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton afterwards. If you can't make the active part of the evening, join us in the pub about 8.30pm. Contact Mary or Mike Ormerod, 01200 429892 for more details.

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Thanks to Mark Edwards for sharing some of his photos from last weekend's LAMM in Glen Fyne. Pictured are partners Tony Marlow (growing an antler) and Steve Wilson at the mid camp. Lots more photos in the gallery.

Wednesday, 16 June 2010

The Club Bikeride will be on Sunday 20th June from Denny Beck car park at Halton starting at 10:00am. The route will be north and west round Silverdale and back using quiet, undulating roads throughout - no big hills this year! Several shorter or longer options are available if required. Tea and coffee stops are also available. Maps will be supplied. Please bring butties and plenty of drink. More details available from Mike & Mary Ormerod - 01200 429892.

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

A different format was tried out at Salt Ayre and Scale Hall for the third in the SROC Summer Series today. A short qualifier (The Prologue,) mainly in the Sports Centre grounds, was swiftly followed by a gaffled chase in the intricate Scale Hall area. Overall winner was Quentin Harding who thereby secured ist place in the Mens Open category in the Summer Series. Zoe Harding is in a strong position in the Womens Open category with two events to go. Pictured, Rob Browne is chased by Martyn Roome. More photos in the gallery, full results service via the Results index page.

The British Age Class Sprint Champs were held in Gosport at the weekend, quite a long way to travel and only two SROC members made the effort. Urban and sprint specialist Glenys Ferguson claimed a silver medal in W60. Results here.

Monday, 14 June 2010

SROC W45s Karen Nash and Rowena Browne ran away with the Female and Vets prizes on the B course, exceeding their performance at last year's event by finishing 9th overall, at the Lowe Alpine Mountan Marathon last weekend. Photos and results on the LAMM website.

Thursday, 10 June 2010

If you are looking for something different to do on Tuesday 22nd June (when there is a gap in the Summer Series) why not try the Lanequest from The Plough at Eaves. It's a 2 hour score event on bikes. (Details here). Any offers of help would be much appreciated. Helpers with parking and registration would be able to have a late start and helpers with finish and results, an early ride. Please contact Peter Knott 01772-683072 pgk36@fsmail.net

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

Thankfully the forecast rain held off for the second event in the SROC Summer Series event at Williamson Park today. Runners were offered the choice of a short or long course, choosing which to run when reaching the tenth control. Results are available here, and splits analysis including RouteGadget is available from the Results Index. More photos in the Gallery. Don't miss the sprint event at Salt Ayre and Scale Hall next Tuesday.

Sunday, 6 June 2010

All are welcome to join in at any of the SROC training runs. The next will be on 9 June from Brinscall swimming baths car park, the following week 16 June from White Coppice Cricket ground. Meet 6.50 to run at 7pm. Pub afterwards. Map links are on the fixtures page.

As you are no doubt aware SROC is to host Day 5 of the Lakes 5 Days Event on 27th August 2010 on Helsington Barrows. This is a big commitment as we are expecting around 1600 competitors so we will need a lot of helpers on the day. I have all the team leaders now in place.

Thursday, 27 May 2010

Wednesday, 26 May 2010

South Ribble M21 Mark Saunders carried off the Battleaxe Trophy at a prize-giving ceremony this evening, held after the final event in Warrior OC's ever popular score orienteering series. Several other SROC members were in close contention for one or other of the prizes. Mark said "this is my proudest moment. I'm sick of coming second! I wouldn't be orienteering today if South Ribble hadn't made me so welcome." Results are available from the Warrior website.

Everyone enjoyed the score event put on by Julian Lailey at Wellington Wood. Unlike conventional score events all points scored from odd numbered controls had to be done before accumulating from even numbered controls, the even numbered controls being worth more points. Results can be found here.

Tuesday, 25 May 2010

This very popular series of bike orienteering, now in its 15th year, starts on Tuesday 1st June from the Strickland Arms near Sizergh. There are a further five events on consecutive Tuesdays, including 22nd June at Eaves, organised by our club president Peter Knott. They are all two hour score events and you don't need a special bike to compete. More details of all the events, entry forms and results on the Wheelbase website.

Thursday, 20 May 2010

Our next run is from Tockholes visitor centre where there is plenty of car park space. Possibilities for all speeds and abilities- Sunnyhurst, Darwen Tower, Roddlesworth woods etc. Pub after- probably the one next to the car park! Follow this map link.

Monday, 17 May 2010

With the Tuesday evening sessions at Ripley School temporarily suspended for the exam season we have instead a series of events of varying formats spread over several Tuesdays in May, June & July. The first is in Wellington Wood on 25th May, a small but interesting patch of woodland near Lancaster, little used for many years apart from the club Handicap last year.

Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Further to this post below, this excellent photo of the winning W40 team's first changeover at the British Relays (Karen Nash on first leg approaching Mary Ockenden in the foreground) by Rob Lines is worthy of an airing on this website. We have just received permission to share it in this way; sorry for the delay.

Sunday, 9 May 2010

Results from the latest in this series of events are now available via the results link above, or direct from here. Any more photos for the gallery? Your pictures of SROC events are always welcome, please email them to photos@sroc.org.

Friday, 7 May 2010

Congratulations to Katrin and Zoe Harding, Chris Nash and John Ockenden who have been selected to attend the British Orienteering Talent Coaching Camp in Scotland at the end of July. Details on the BOF website.

Thursday, 6 May 2010

SROC will be making good use of the British Orienteering training day at Dale Park on Saturday 15th May. Coach Quentin Harding is planning training exercises for juniors and adults, and he would like to know if you are coming. More details including a map link on the Fixtures and SRJS pages.

The 3rd event in the Series is at Yarrow Valley. If you came last time in March then you may think you know the area but we have something different for you this time, you will visit other parts of the park. The courses are different and the Technical course has a twist in it.

Monday, 3 May 2010

SROC women were victorious at the 2010 British Orienteering Championships and Relay Championships held over the weekend of 1st & 2nd May. The Harding family Women's Short team collected Gold, as did the W40 team of Karen Nash, Mary Ockenden and Rowena Browne. The M18 team of John Ockenden, Chris & Matt Nash came in 5th. In the individual competition Zoe Harding scored Gold in W16A and Quentin Harding was 2nd in M45L. Other top ten placings were achieved by:

The last club session at Ripley will be taking place on Tuesday 4th May After this date the sports hall is being used for the exam season and it is felt that there are numerous other evening distractions to entice you outside. Several evening orienteering fixtures are being planned for these evening, watch the fixtures list for details. Sessions at Ripley will return in September.

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

Monday, 26 April 2010

Many thanks to our founder member Maurice Dean who has sent in some of his photos taken at the British Sprint Elite Championships at Chorley. Maurice captured this view of the Elite Prizewinners. More of his pictures may be found in the gallery.

Results from the latest in this series of events in the Chorley O-zone have been added to the Results index - follow the Results link in the menu bar above for Winsplits Online, Splitsbrowser and RouteGadget.

Thursday, 22 April 2010

The Harvester Relays are held each year and consist of a mixed night/day relay for teams of 5 or 7 runners. This year they are being hosted by Saxons OC near Tunbridge Wells over the weekend of 8&9 May. If you are interested in being part of a team please contact Mark Edwards (Club Captain).

Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Thanks to Martyn Roome and Mark Edwards for their photographs which have been added to the gallery. Martyn's are mainly around Assembly and the Courtyard while Mark's cover the heat start and senior finals start. Pictured right is eventual men's winner Graham Gristwood, examining the map in the A Final start lane.

Monday, 19 April 2010

The next Wednesday evening training run will be on one of SROC's old favourites - the sandhills and beach at St Annes. Mike Ormerod is leading, all are welcome. Run as far or as fast (or slow) as you like. Arrive by 6.45 pm on 21 April aiming to start by 7 pm. Details on the fixtures page.

Sunday, 18 April 2010

Congratulations to Sarah Rollins and Graham Gristwood who triumphed in the British Sprint Elite Championships today in Chorley. Full results for the event, including Winsplits Online, Splitsbrowser and RouteGadget are available via the BSEOC mini site. More photographs, mainly of the A finalists and age class prize winners, are in the gallery.

Monday, 5 April 2010

Club members will remember Dick's tale of the British Night Champs held earlier this year in the Pentlands, recounted in the Newsletter. You can watch a very well put together program on the event, part of the Adventure Show, on iPlayer until 11 April. See how many SROC O-suits you can spot!

Sunday, 4 April 2010

No 1st places in the individuals for SROC members this year, but several podium places to talk about. Best in the sprint were Sue & Quentin Harding, both in 3rd place (W45 and M45). Top finisher in the combined days 2 & 3 was our Chairman, Julian Lailey (2nd M60L), followed by Zoe Harding (3rd W16A), Lisa Quickfall (3rd W16B) and Karen Quickfall (3rd W45S).

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

2010 will be the inaugural year for the North West Regional League. It will be based on standard 5 year age groups. The best 4 events will count towards a competitor’s total score, with at least one being classified as Urban, Sprint or Middle. Points will be awarded using the new BOF Ranking List facility with a spreadsheet maintained showing current standings.

Monday, 29 March 2010

The start times for the relays have been changed. Details are contained in a newsflash that was put onto the BOF website today. The JK 2010 Final Details have been amended to include this information. Please make sure that you check the start time for your class prior to Day 4, JK Relays. New start times are here.

Saturday, 27 March 2010

The first event of the Chorley O-zone series saw several newcomers and a few old-hands enjoying the Spring sunshine around the surprisingly complex small area of Yarrow Valley Country Park on the edge of Chorley. Results, including links to Winsplits Online, Splitsbrowser and RouteGadget have been added to the Results page (follow the link above), or the simple results may be viewed directly by clicking here. More photos in the gallery, or click here for a slide show.

Friday, 19 March 2010

South Ribble OC rising star Chris Nash (pictured holding his award) has been the latest recipient of largesse from this fund, supported by family bakers Warburtons, Lancashire Sport and the Duchy of Lancaster. Warburtons Corporate Affairs Manager Jill Kippax said: “Families make such sacrifices to see their children achieve. This fund will go some way to helping with the costs of becoming a world class performer and staying there.”The awards ceremony was hosted by the Vice Chairman of the County Council, Councillor Chris Holtom with Rodney Swarbrick, Vice Lord- Lieutenant of Lancashire. Tune in to Preston FM Community Radio at 8.30 am on Monday 22 March to hear Chris's interview.

Wednesday, 17 March 2010

League tables for the end of the season are available here. Champions are confirmed as: Quentin Harding, Men's and Overall Champion; Karen Nash, Ladies Champion; Chris and Jacob Roberts, Pairs Champions; Alex McCann (MDOC) Under 21 Champion. There was one change to the other podium places declared on the night as a result of the Penwortham Organiser's decision to accept two answers for control 56. Steve McLean has now overtaken Mike Johnson on gross scores to gain second place in the Men's competition. An illustration of how closely fought many of the league positions are - after a full 10 events, a single control has made the difference!

Monday, 15 March 2010

Over the coming weeks, SROC is running an O-zone series of events around Chorley. The dates and venues of these are: Mar-27 Yarrow Valley, Apr-24 Duxbury Park, May-08 Yarrow Valley, May-22 Worden Park & Jun-05 Astley Park. The times are a little later than usual, with starts from 12-30 until 2pm. As well as the usual roster of volunteers required to run these events, we will also need some orienteers to help newcomers through the process, and help them with approaching the courses. Please email Roy McGregor if you are able to spare some time to support one or more of these events.

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

The hot pot went down very well at Penwortham Cricket Club, venue for the last event in the 2009-2010 street-O season. Prize winners were honoured to be presented with their trophies and certificates by Maurice Dean, founder member of SROC. A full list of those rewarded will appear when the final tables are published, meanwhile most of the winners can be seen in the gallery. Also RouteGadget is now ready to receive your routes. Club President Peter Knott gave well earned thanks to Glenys Ferguson, League Coordinator, and John Ashton who keeps score.

Sunday, 7 March 2010

Today's Interland international match held at Hecht Else Dunes in Belgium resulted in a victory for England, helped along in no small measure by several SROC members, including Zoe Harding (1st D16) and Quentin Harding (2nd H40). Results may be viewed here.

Friday, 5 March 2010

Several SROC night-O enthusiasts are venturing to the snowy Pentland Hills to take part in the British Night Orienteering Championships this weekend, but one less than had entered because Julian Lailey has been called to join the England team at Interland. See this earlier post. For an article on the Harding England Team members see this in the Lancaster Guardian.

Congratulations to Mike Johnson who is this season's winner for his performance at the Lytham Street event. His trophy will be presented as part of the street league prizegiving following the final event at Penwortham on Wednesday 10th March. Anyone with queries about their street league scores after Event 9 should contact John Ashton promptly (jdashton@yahoo.com).

Wednesday, 3 March 2010

The league scores after nine street events are here. There is one last chance to improve your league positions, at the final event in Penwortham on next Wednesday, 10 March. The deadline for food orders is today, so don't delay! Details are on the fixtures list. Trophies for each of several categories will be presented after everyone has run.

Sunday, 28 February 2010

I am emailing out the latest version of the membership list in the next couple of days - if you don't receive a copy it could be that that you haven't let me know a change of email address - send it to me and I will send you your copy - Thanks, Karen: secretary@sroc.org

Friday, 26 February 2010

Details of the next few junior training sessions have been added to the SRJS page (follow the link on the left of this page). These sessions are organised approximately monthly and are suitable for all junior orienteers, from beginner level upwards, using BOF qualified coaches. You don't even have to be a club member! So if you are, or your child is, looking to improve orienteering skills to move through the colour standards why not join in?

Thursday, 25 February 2010

Who won the coveted Tower Trophy? This will be revealed shortly, and the trophy itself will be presented at the League Prizegiving at the final event. Meanwhile here are the results from Lytham. Don't forget, if you are coming to Penwortham on 10 March and want food, this should be ordered by 3 March. Details are on the Fixtures List, and here.

Wednesday, 24 February 2010

SROC are hosting the British sprint elite championships on Sunday April 18. This is a major undertaking requiring large numbers of club members to make it happen. Please contact Mary Ormerod to offer assistance on 01200 429892.

A record breaking turnout was experienced at the penultimate event of the season, run on an excellent new map by Ian Evans. Results will be posted as soon as possible, but in the mean time why not add your route to RouteGadget and compare it with everyone elses?

Sunday, 21 February 2010

Final tables for this season's NW Night League series have now been published, and may be viewed here. Several SROC members scored well, including Rowena Browne 1st W40+, Katrin Harding 1st W18- and Chris Roberts 3rd M40+. Ex SROC member Steve Wilson was 1st M19-39.

Menu details have been added to the Club Dinner item on the fixture list, or may be viewed here. Jane Collins needs to know your menu choices (and receive your cheques) asap and no later than 28 February. Janes's contact details are also on the fixtures item.

Saturday, 20 February 2010

Sunshine and a frozen lake greeted competitors at Saturday's Sprint event in Williamson Park. A good number of newcomers joined the old hands on some interesting courses planned by Martyn Roome. SROC member Mike Johnson was victorious on the combined sprints 1 & 2. Full results are here. RouteGadget is here. Winsplits online and Splitsbrowser are accessible via the results page. More photos are in the gallery, with thanks to Sarah Roberts and Martyn Roome.

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

League standings after 8 events (here) show Quentin Harding in an unassailable position, and Karen Nash looking set to retain her title as Leading Lady. But there is still close competition for other podium places. Also Event 9, next Wednesday (24 Feb) at Lytham, offers the opportunity to win the Tower Trophy. This is awarded for the best performance, measured on the age adjusted basis. Previous winners are not eligible.

Monday, 15 February 2010

Members who enjoyed Glenys Ferguson's article on urban orienteering in the latest newsletter will be glad to know that she is topping the W55+ table after two events in the 2010 league, after runs at Edinburgh and Carlisle. Current league tables are here: women, men.

Friday, 12 February 2010

Courses on offer are 2 Sprint Courses (do one or both, a perfect practice for the JK Sprint and forthcoming British Sprint Champs in Chorley on Sunday 18th April) and an Orange (not a Yellow as advertised) perfect for newcomers and the less experienced. SI punching and overprinted maps. More details on the fixtures page.

A storming run from Mark Saunders took highest points per hour in near perfect running conditions last Wednesday night. The new venue seemed to work out well, and an excellent course was set by Mike Johnson. Results are here. Only two more events to go this season!

Thursday, 11 February 2010

RouteGadget for the latest street event is now ready for your routes. Details of the final event, including the prize giving, at Penwortham have been added to the fixture list. Please note the need to pre-order food if wanted.

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

We are indebted to David Wilson for suggesting that users may need the latest version of Java installed in order to load the Tim Watkins map. Please download it from http://www.java.com/en/download/. Alternatively it may just require that you close your browser and clear the browser cache. See this help file for more information.

Monday, 8 February 2010

Over 150 pupils from 11 schools took part in the 6th Orienteering competition organized by the SSCo (School Sports Coordinator) at Carnforth High School. The event was held at Williamson Park, Lancaster. Despite chilly temperatures everyone took part with great enthusiasm. The pupils competed in pairs on the two courses planned. Winners of course A were Jack and Oliver from Silverdale School and winners of course B were James and Matthew from Archbishop Hutton, Warton. Overall school winners were Arkholme.Thanks to Quentin Harding (SROC), Laura Reynolds (SSCo) and the Junior Sports leaders from Carnforth High School who helped run an excellent event. For results click here, and for RouteGadget click here.Mark Edwards (SSCo)

Some users have experienced problems with loading the map for the Tim Watkins Blodslitet, presumably because of its large file size. Accordingly the map has been replaced with a lower resolution version, of much smaller file size. With luck this should solve the problem, although at the cost of a harder to read map. Any feedback to webmaster@sroc.org please.

With apologies for the slight delay, RouteGadget is now ready to receive your routes. Because of the size and complexity of the map it will take a little while to load, depending on your connection speed. Anyone who checked the results on the BOF site yesterday or earlier today may have noticed ranking points had been awarded. This was an error (mass start events are excluded from rankings), and has now been corrected.

Sunday, 7 February 2010

The results for today's mass start Tim Watkins Blodslitet at Farleton Knott have been added to the results page. Follow the results link above, or from the Blodslitet page. RouteGadget will follow shortly.

We have made some more changes, principally to give more space for news items, and to reduce the clutter of many different picture links. Any comments are welcome, please email the webmaster or post on the message board

Thursday, 4 February 2010

Anyone visiting this website today may have noticed that it looked a bit different to normal, and indeed looks different again now. This was because some changes were being made behind the scenes but things are back to normal now, apart from the slight change in appearance. You may also notice a slightly snazzier news archive at the foot of this page.

Tuesday, 2 February 2010

All juniors, whether club members or not, are invited to attend the next South Ribble Junior Squad training session which will take place in Williamson Park, starting at 10.30 on 20 February and finishing shortly before the sprint event at the same venue. Come along and sharpen your skills! Please contact Ian Selby by 18 February if you are coming.

Sunday, 31 January 2010

There were plenty of attractive events to choose from this weekend, 30/31 January. Several SROC members ventured North to take part in the Edinburgh Nopesport Urban League race on Saturday, followed by the popular JOK chasing sprint on Sunday. There was a greater number attending the Northern Championships weekend near Sheffield, where club chairman Julian Lailey was crowned M60 Northern Champion. Closer to home the penultimate NW Night League event near Stockport attracted the night-O stalwarts. Follow these links for results: Edinburgh Urban, JOK Sprint, Northern Champs, NWNL tables.

Thursday, 28 January 2010

The North West Junior Squad, which includes a strong SROC contingent, is hoping to raise funds to assist many NWJS athletes on their Norwegian training tour. They are gathering good quality but unwanted clothes, bedding, shoes, curtains etc. "Local Agents" for SROC are the Nash family. If you have any items to donate please bring them with you to any events that the Nashes are attending. Contact them by email first to make sure they will be there!

There's still time to enter this mass start long distance event which is being staged this year on Farleton Fell on Sunday 7 February. Closing date is 31 January, go to Oentries. Final details have been added to the event page, or direct from here.

Monday, 25 January 2010

SROC are hosting the 2010 British Sprint Elite Championships in Chorley on Sunday 18 April. This forms part of a weekend of high level orienteering, with The British Elite & Age Class Middle Championships the day before at Haverthwaite. Full details of the Sprint Champs may be found on the event website, and online entries are now open at Oentries.

The Club Dinner will be at the splendid Thurnham Hall (same venue as last year) on Friday, 12th March, 7.00 for 7.30 pm. Guest Speaker is Sports Nutritionist Abby Harman. More details may be found on the fixture list. Get this in your diary!

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Well, if you thought the handicapper gave you a raw deal and that you really had to do something about your lack of fitness, be relieved. You were actually running on a 1:10,000 map and not, as you thought, on a 1:7,500 map. This meant that your courses were 33% longer than stated. Originally mapped at 1:10,000, when it was realised that it could be printed on one side of A4 at 1:7,500, the Purple Pen conversion worked but the OCAD didn't.

Mapper and course planner, Julian Lailey, apologies for the extra distance, especially to those who had to retire. The courses were already longer than normal for the Handicap event to enable everyone to get into the better parts of the map, so the extra length was quite something. But there is a silver lining: you really are fitter and faster than you thought and can have no fears for the Compass Sport competition (whenever that might be). Your CSC course will be a doddle. And be relieved, says Julian, that he was dissuaded by the great and good from going ahead with the event on the original date. That would have meant everyone walking up to the start from Brookhouse and running in the snow. Last year, remember, Julian introduced an extra couple of challenges by introducing some dummy controls and others without flags! Well, he argues, it is called the Handicap for good reason and can't see why Dick should have all the fun.

Pictured are the juniors who achieved Silver, Gold or Championship standards in 2009 (plus Martyn Roome). More photos from the prize giving are in this album in the gallery, and a few shots from Traitor's Gill are in this album. Thanks to the photographers who have contributed. Any more?

Not many people would have known where Traitor's Gill was before today. Now, thanks to courses which made best use of the whole area, many SROC members know a lot more about it! The snow had gone but swirling mists added to the challenge. Congratulations to Glenys Ferguson who was home first, almost 7 minutes clear of second placed Sue Harding. The rest of the field were spread out over the next hour or so. Presentations, quizzes, and food were enjoyed afterwards in Brookhouse Church Hall. Handicap results are here, and you can add your routes on RouteGadget.

Thursday, 21 January 2010

Next Wednesday's street event sees a visit to the relatively new area of Westhoughton. This is readily accessible from the M61. If you would like food, it must be pre-ordered through Steve Lang before Monday 25. Note the entry fee for seniors for this event will be £2 to cover the cost of the Cricket Club. Bring your gel and towel to take advantage of the showers! Menu, travel directions and contact details on the Fixtures page.

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Latest forecasts give great conditions for running with a light wind and temperature a few degrees above freezing. There is only a slight chance of some light rain and no snow anywhere near. Therefore the Longridge event will go ahead this evening, Wednesday 20 January.

Sunday, 17 January 2010

Carol McNeil, Derek Allison and Iain Smith-Ward are supporting this course at the splendid Lakeland location of Great Tower. There are a few spaces available so if you would like to go contact the organisers right away. SROC will pay the course fee and travel there (for SROC members), so please do go if you are interested in doing some planning in the future, or if you have done some but want to learn more. More details here.

The streets of Longridge are now free of ice and snow so we hope that the rescheduled Street League event 6 will take place as planned on Wednesday 20 January. There has been an advance warning of further snowfall that could once more affect this event, so please check the website before travelling. Details are on the fixtures page. Come and run off some of those mince pies! All welcome.

Saturday, 16 January 2010

Don't forget that the rescheduled Club Handicap, on a new Julian Lailey map, will take place on Saturday 23 January. This will be followed by the annual social and prize-giving, and later by a night-O training session for the juniors. Details of the Handicap are on the fixtures page and this earlier news item, and details of the junior training are on the SRJS page.

For anyone just wanting to stay down in Devon from the Friday to Monday this Easter the John Fowler caravan park at Combe Martin Beach (not Sandaway) is good value and very close to Braunton Burrows. This is the SROC recommendation, and if there are enough people staying in the Braunton Burrows area the Club will be arranging to meet up for dinner one evening.

And still the adverse weather hasn't finished disrupting orienteering events. News from the organisers of the event planned for 24th January is that conditions on the area, and on the approach roads, are too bad to be sure of sufficient improvement in time. This does at least mean that anyone who missed the entry deadline may now be able to run for SROC! more . . .

Thursday, 7 January 2010

This is the scene that club members would have witnessed had the Club Handicap gone ahead today, Saturday 9th January. Thanks to Quentin Harding for testing the conditions last Thursday, and providing this image and more in the gallery. Quentin reports "The views were superb and worth the effort of getting there. The area to be used was about 4" deep in a light powdery snow that was quite easy to traverse. Unfortunately many of the features were under the snow but that would have been the planner's problem distinguishing a tussock from a boulder. It was a still sunny day and -2 C. Unfortunately it was a long run (3.3km) and climb from the church hall. The road up is quite icy and it would only need one incident to totally block the road. There was only limited parking space at the top of the hill. Had the wind been like the previous day there would have been a severe wind chill..." Let's hope we can get up there on 23rd January!